The Unseen Fury of Solar Storms - NOEMA Magazine
Historical Solar Storms Events
The Carrington Event (1859)
On September 1, 1859, English amateur astronomer Richard Carrington observed an intense “white‑light” solar flare—an unprecedented burst of solar energy . About 18 hours later, the resulting coronal mass ejection (CME) struck Earth, triggering auroras visible as far south as El Salvador and causing telegraph systems to spark and short‑circuit . The event has since set the benchmark for catastrophic space weather.
Railway and Telegraph Disruptions (1921)
A massive geomagnetic storm in 1921 caused sparks and operational failures in New York’s railway signaling equipment and telegraph systems—one of the earliest examples of space weather affecting critical infrastructure .
Cold War Missile Monitoring Jams (1967)
In 1967, powerful solar flares interfered with the U.S. Air Force’s Ballistic Missile Early Warning System, nearly triggering a nuclear scramble due to misinterpreted signals .
Quebec Blackout (1989)
Perhaps the best-known modern solar storm occurred in March 1989. That CME disabled the power grid in Quebec, plunging six million people into darkness for nine hours .
Close Call of 2012 & G5 Storm (2024)
In July 2012, a CME comparable to the Carrington Event narrowly missed Earth. More recently, in May 2024, a severe cluster of CMEs produced a G5-level geomagnetic storm. Intense auroras were seen globally, signaling how vulnerable modern infrastructure—like satellite systems and farming GPS—has become .
Think solar storms are just pretty lights in the sky? This article reveals how they’ve disrupted history—and how they could paralyze our modern world.
Thumbnail image - Picturing The Sun’s Magnetic Field - NASA Science TAKEN: December 8, 2017
PRODUCER: GSFC
PIA NUMBERGSFC_20171208_Archive_e000393